When my friend’s father passed away, we couldn’t find words to adequately convey our sympathy and love. Then I remembered Kelly Canby’s picture book A Leaf Called Greaf, and realised we actually had found the right words – they were in Canby’s book. Picture books are good like that.
A Leaf Called Greaf is about a lonely bear who finds a “beguiling” green leaf, and with it, comfort and companionship. Greaf (short for “green leaf”) changes with the seasons and eventually crumbles to pieces; gone but still surrounding Bear. It’s a gentle story with emotive windswept-looking illustrations that hint at the family Bear once had. My friend said the book touched her heart and that, for the first time since her father’s passing, she’d cried happy tears.
“There are so many amazing picture books about grief,” says bookseller Rachel Robson of Sydney’s Gleebooks. “I think picture books are the perfect gift for someone in this situation.”
Being brief and highly visual, a picture book won’t feel like an overwhelming task for someone going through a difficult time; instead they can provide comfort and a quiet, meditative moment.
Robson says picture books “with all the feels” are the most popular for adult readers, but it was Shaun Tan’s books that “normalised buying picture books for adults”.
Tan’s books – including The Red Tree, The Lost Thing, and Cicada – explore topics that resonate with adults, through spare prose and surrealist art. When The Arrival – Tan’s award-winning wordless book about the immigrant experience – came out I shared it with my grandmother, an Italian immigrant with limited English. Poring over it with her is a cherished core memory for me, even though – like the book – the whole exchange was wordless.
More recently, I shared These Long-Loved Things, by singer-songwriter Josh Pyke and illustrator Ronojoy Ghosh, with my parents. Dedicated to Pyke’s mother, who had Alzheimer’s, it reads like a song: “Once a memory is made, it remains. Even when it is forgotten,” reads one line. The book’s message about the power and importance of shared memories moved us all to tears, thinking of our own family members who suffered the same disease.
I’ve had similarly heartfelt reactions to picture books I’ve given in happier times, too. For Mothers’ Day, we gave Mum A Mother is a House, a celebration of all the roles a mother plays, by French illustrator Aurore Petit. We personalised it by adding a few “a grandmother is … ” lines from my kids.
For my cousin’s 40th birthday, Accidentally Kelly Street, Briony Stewart’s adaptation of the joyous 90s earworm by Frente!, was a well-received dose of nostalgia. The hilarious Your Birthday Was the BEST!, by Maggie Hutchings and Felicita Sala, is another winning birthday gift. Told from the point of view of a cockroach oblivious to the fact he’s not a welcome party guest, it’s a laugh for all ages.
“Most of us hope a gift will be meaningful and memorable for the recipient,” says librarian and author Lara Cain Gray. “For adults who grew up as readers, receiving a picture book as a gift calls to mind the warm glow of snuggling up for a bedtime story, or the cheeky rebellion of unapologetically laughing at silly humour. It’s a direct line to our inner child!”
A passionate picture book advocate, Cain Gray recently released The Grown-Up’s Guide to Picture Books, and hopes the A-Z guide will help adults to see picture books as the “glorious and sophisticated texts” they are.
“With an adult’s life experience, I’m now getting more out of picture books than ever,” she says. “I can get lost in glorious art and marvel at beautiful writing, all in a neat little package that’s perfect even if I’m tired and busy. In fact, especially if I’m tired and busy.”
The first picture book I was gifted in adulthood was called The Very Blue Thingamajig by Narelle Oliver, a counting book in which a strange creature finds its soulmate. That was some 25 years ago and, perhaps in another testament to the power of picture books, the gift giver is now my husband.
Perfect picture books for adults
… who are grieving
Bear and Rat by Christopher Cheng and Stephen Michael King (Penguin Books)
A tear-jerking fable-like story about companionship that lasts a lifetime, and beyond.
The Heart and the Bottle by Oliver Jeffers (HarperCollins)
A girl puts her aching heart in a bottle for protection, only to realise it closes her off from all the wonders of the world, too.
A Leaf Called Greaf by Kelly Canby (Fremantle Press)
A beautiful analogy about living with life after loss, starring sweet Bear and his green leaf.
… who are in love
Happy All Over by Emma Quay (HarperCollins)
A joyful ode to happy moments, perfect for someone who fills your cup.
Herman and Rosie by Gus Gordon (Penguin Books)
This jazzy “meet cute” between a crocodile and a deer in New York City is completely charming.
We Found a Hat by Jon Klassen (Walker Books)
When there are two of you but only one hat, you have to dream up something better, together.
… who are nostalgic
Words That Taste Like Home by Sandhya Parappukkaran and Michelle Pereira (Hardie Grant)
An evocative story about connection to language and culture, even if from afar.
To Stir With Love by Kate Mildenhall and Jess Racklyeft (Simon & Schuster)
A heart-warming book for anyone who loved baking with grandma. Recipe included!
Accidentally Kelly Street by Briony Stewart (Affirm Press)
Frente!’s irrepressibly positive 90s song is reimagined as the story of an immigrant family settling into a new neighbourhood.
… who love art and poetry
How to Make a Bird by Meg McKinlay and Matt Ottley (Walker Books)
A beautiful metaphor about the creative process, from starting out to sharing your work with the world.
Afloat by Kirli Saunders and Freya Blackwood (Hardie Grant)
Hope is the ultimate takeaway from this moving story about community, First Nations wisdom and climate change.
My Heart by Corinna Luyken (Penguin Books)
A heart-soothing lyrical look at the way our hearts can ache, close off, expand and embrace.
… who are parents
My Strange Shrinking Parents by Zeno Sworder (Thames & Hudson Australia)
A visually stunning tribute to the sacrifices parents make for their children, expressed in literal centimetres.
A Mother is a House by Aurore Petit (Gecko Press)
An eye-catching, neon-highlighted tribute to mums and all the endless ways they support their children.
The Swaddledok by Josh Szeps and Heidi McKinnon (Scholastic Australia)
This funny story acknowledges that parenthood can be a smelly, sleepless struggle … but it’s still worth it.
